Greetings from Flatland- Again...

This evening I'm listening to Area24Radio- the Rock Nerd Dan Lennane is stretching out tonight and sounds like he is having a great time! A mix of heavy rock that even an older type like me can wrap my brain around...

After a failed attempt at voice-over I was re-employed by the company that closed down their facility in Northern NJ a few years back. The good news is that I can continue sleeping indoors under my own power. The bad news is that I can be taken offline on Wednesday nights for a variety of reasons. I offer my apologies for not being able to do a fresh show every week, but "it bees that way sometimes"...

I do enjoy listening to Area24Radio while I'm in Illinois for the week. It is a connection with home via the internet. I'm reminded what a great group of people I get to spin tunes with- and that we each bring something to the table! Can it get any better than this?

Yes it can, if you help. Our fearless leader has initiated a Kickstarter campaign to help us raise money for new equipment. This will enable us to keep doing what we do best- bringing hand-picked music to the web 24/7/365 without commercials or outside influences controlling the content.

Here's what is in it for you. As with our regular membership offers, we have gifts commensurate with the level of financial stimulus you provide. We have "thank you" gifts for multiple support levels. You also have the inner satisfaction of being part of a movement that is pushing back against mindless commercialism and cynical media offerings.

New programming is being added as we speak (type, whatever...) so you will also have the satisfaction of helping something grow even better than it was before. You will know that each of us thanks you in our own way- renewing our efforts to keep on keeping on!

The Kickstarter link is on our home page. Click on it and then take that next step. It will be worth your while!

My next show will have music by an ensemble called Orphic Oxtra from Iceland. Think Eric Dolphy and Miles Davis doing klezmer. It works. Trust me.

I will, Gaia willing, be doing a show next week, Wednesday night at or around 8:00 pm eastern time. Be there for me as I am with you.

Peace be with you,

Glenn Carella

What the Cat knocked over... or How the January 18th show came about...

During one of these corporate giant WEBEX/phone training thingy dingies I was answering a question from Flatland when I heard a crash behind me. The session was still going on so I could only see the black streak that was my cat named Monkey making a bee-line out of my studio/work area. The nature of the sound with multiple plastic impacts did not make me real happy-bappy.

My shift ended and I turned to survey the damage. After multiple hops from multiple shelf tops, Monkey landed on my CD carousels. Momentum and gravity did their thing. It was quite the pile as an entire side of the carousel was on the ground. I assembled the mess into a couple of neat piles and walked away mumbling something about why I love critters. Or at least that's how I choose to remember it...

The Monday prior to the show I drove up to Studio Q to malinger a while during Lou Cannizzaro's Random Madness program. The somke had ceased coming out of my ears and his show inspired me to do something, the only thing that would make sense. I would take the event as a message from The Universe and use the fallen CDs as my next show.

It wasn't half-bad. Ethnic music, movie soundtracks, gospel, Israeli trance music... Monkey gave me quite the playlist (which you can still se if you go to the Vault tab of the Area24Radio website. That was real thoughtful of her... although it has been even more thoughtful that she has not repeated this performance.

My next show will, Cats willing, have choices made through more conventional means. That may or may not be an improvement.

Peace be with you,

Glenn Carella

2011 in the rear-view mirror...

I will be making my last trip of the year to Middle America this week, so my last show of the year is in the vault. I've done mile in an airplane seat and miles in my car seat as well as my almost one-year-old "new old job" goes on.

This piece will be an appreciation of what has gone before and what is yet to come; please bear with me.

I am much better off than I was one year ago in terms of employment. I appreciate my old company "right-sizing" by bringing me back on board. As the weeks go on I continue to get back on my feet. I thank the forces of the universe (whatever name one wants to use) for this good fortune.

When this marvelous internet station made the transition to Area24Radio, The program I do made its own transition to a title more fitting to its content. If you were around for the earlier days you know I was going through stuff with a career change that didn't survive the tanking of the economy. This current framework seems to be a better fit and the shows are flowing differently, for better or worse. I appreciate the leadership of Area24Radio in giving its program producers the latitude that it does.

I appreciate the persistance of our management is getting us through the various disasters we have encountered this year. They have dealt with the forces of Mother Nature, Father Politics and rat-bastard Uncle Techmology as our webcast was interrupted from time to time. With their attention and efforts we keep on keeping on.

A major shout-out must be made to our listeners for their choosing our musical outlet. Even more appreciation to those who can find it in their hearts (and wallets/checkbooks) to donate to keep us happening. Thank you!

It's time to take care of some last-minute odds and ends before my next trip to FlatLand. I wish all my readers and listeners the very best in the coming new year. I have the notion that while we are still on a very strange roller-coaster ride it may yet turn out all right. The Can Of Cat Food tells me this, so it Must be true...

Peace be with you,

Glenn Carella

Things will be quiet this Wednesday...

In order to keep the folks in Illinois happy I will be on the road fixing stuff this coming Wednesday, October 26th. While I really enjoy doing my show I enjoy the paycheck even more. That part enables me to get my hands on more music both new and old- really old.

Of course, more old stuff means more digitizing in the home studio... no rest for the weary. I want to revive the show I did a long while back called "The Hour Of Old Stuff" with all the program material having to be older than I am. While there are lots of CD re-issued stuff out there, I get a real kick out of playing original source material- some of it almost 100 years old.

I'm listening to Lou Cannizzaro's Random Madness Afterparty while typing this. The other night I was in a funk and Yao Cunningham's program "Brother From The Third Stone" helped me claw my way out. Area24Radio also helps me stay connected when I am in Illinois, and I usually get to enjoy Giacomo Servetti's "G Train" program out there (no Tai Chi class you see...)

I will be back, not to worry. We always have the Vault tab along the top of our web page.

Peace be with you,

Glenn Carella

now, time to get up close with the new cats...

If you play the music, they will listen...

Or so we think.... Due to climatic conditions beyond our control we were disrupted for a while. All is well now and we are back in business.

My summer has been a bit crazed and I have still been acclimating to my recycled job which is now in its tenth month. I'm also building more real people stuff into my schedule little by little.

It's not that I'm a hermit or anything. It's just that when my job is over there is stuff to do every night of the week around the house and it is easy for stuff to fall behind. These jobs don't do themselves.

And the recent hurricane event resulted in my first real deployment to a local evecuation shelter to provide emergency communications. That has resulted in my re-arranging my priorities. While my live show will still air on Wednesday nights it will not happen on the first Wednesday of the month. The local ham radio group has its meetings then- and I will re-connect with this going forward.

I look forward to my next show. There is great stuff in the station in vinyl and CD (including our own copy of the new Luminosity CD... see the post below this one). Please give a listen and also check out our Facebook presence. News and announcements wind up there.

Now all I've got to do is figure out what to play...

Peace be with you,

Glenn Carella